US President Joe Biden headed to Europe on Saturday, on a week-long diplomatic tour, through which he hopes to strengthen the Western alliance against Russia and address Chinese challenges, while the United States is witnessing political turmoil over the abolition of the right to abortion.
Biden’s first stop is the G7 summit, which will be held in a luxurious castle in the Alps of Germany, in the presence of the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan. Next week, he travels to Madrid to attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
Both summits will take place against the backdrop of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but also against a backdrop of rising global inflation, fears of economic stagnation, and the growing challenge of containing China, while avoiding open conflict with it.
Biden has won widespread praise for his restoration of American leadership in European and Asian alliances, and the response to Russia has seen especially a strong transatlantic unit, whether to arm the Ukrainians or impose strong economic sanctions on Moscow. But like many European leaders, Biden is facing pressure at home due to the fallout from the sanctions that have contributed to raising fuel prices and placing a heavy burden on economies trying to recover from the shock of the Covid epidemic.
The US president is also experiencing domestic political pressure ahead of mid-term elections in November that could lead to a Republican takeover of Congress over the next two years.
Friday’s Supreme Court decision to end decades of federal protections for abortion opened a new battleground, as Biden called on voters to make it a major issue in the November ballot. He addressed the issue again on Saturday before heading to Europe, saying the Supreme Court had made a “shocking decision”.
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